All's Fair in Love and War
by DarkxKnight
Summary: After saving Bart from Lex, Clark decides that it is the right time for him to train. Having now completed his extensive training Clark returns to Metropolis which has changed a lot over the years he has been gone. Full Summary and pairings inside.
1. Prologue: Four Years Ago

**Fandom: **Smallville

**Title: **All's fair in Love and War

**Pairings: **Clark/Oliver, Lex/Lana, Lois/Bruce, Kara/Jimmy/Chloe, Bruce/Clark, Bruce/Clark/Oliver

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **The M rating for this story will be mostly due to descriptive violence and excessive use of profanities over graphic sexual situations. There could also possibly be torture and controversial situations that will not be for the faint hearted.

Please read the authors note at the end of this chapter as it is of great importance.

**Description**

After saving Bart from Lex's 33.1 Laboratory along with the Green Arrow, Cyborg and Aquaman, Clark decides that it is the right time for him to train knowing that if he had listened to the A.I of his father in the beginning he would not be in a checkmate with Lex. Having now completed his extensive training Clark returns to Metropolis which has changed a lot over the years he has been gone.

**Prologue**

_**Four years ago...**_

"_Okay thanks... So the Daily Planet is running with the story that a gas explosion destroyed the __**vacant**__ LuthorCorp building down by the docks" amusement and a slight undertone of fear was evident in Chloe's voice as she re-entered the Kent barn; contacts from the Daily Planet had blessed her with nothing but bad news as she had attempted to gain any information on Lex Luthor as she possibly could regarding the latest incident._

_Across the barn and leaning against one of the posts in his barn, Clark looked at Chloe with a look of apprehension and confusion._

"_Vacant?" a slight look of distaste and annoyance crossed his face at his own words, looking over at his long time best friend, watching her sit down on the steps of his solitary area. _

"_Looks like the Luthor cover up machine is in full swing" sarcasm drowned his voice showing once again his frustration on yet another situation that the Luthor's had caused._

"_Well at least we got Bart out before Lex ran him into an early grave" Chloe cut in as she indicated over to the red clad male who was sat contently on the small green tractor eating what was remaining of Clarks refrigerator._

_The said teen scoffed somewhat at the blondes words a look of irritation flashing on his face moments before his usual arrogance took over once again._

"_Oh come on. No worries. I had plenty of juice left" Bart spoke out proudly a smirk on his face as he held out his arms in a supreme manner as though nothing could hurt hi, much to the amusement of the rest of the room._

_Stood beside him with a blank look, Victor gave a ridiculing roll of his eyes at the sheer egotistical mannerisms of his teammate._

"_Could 'a fooled me, the way you cleared out Mama Kent's fridge…" any other person's voice would have been dripping in amusement or sarcasm, Victor's however remained blunt and level which just added to the humorous aspect of his statement for the others in the barn._

"_Well, it's because I like to stay fuelled up" Bart replied in his usual arrogant tone before super-speeding over to sit beside Chloe._

"_Just in case I need to spring into action" a grin appeared on his face as he looked at the blonde woman. _

_With a slightly disbelieving look, Chloe held back a bubble of laughter as she spoke not wanting to ridicule the teen any more than the others already were. _

"_I still have a boyfriend" she pointed out with a small smirk to the younger teen, watching with amusement as his features change to a look of disappointment._

"_Yeah, well a man can dream, can't he?" _

"_Now you know why we call him Impulse" AC cut in, moving closer to the group as he watched Clark glance over at Bart like a proud older brother; a small smile forming on his face at the action._

_As AC spoke however, his words dawned on Clark and he couldn't help but give an almost silent laugh at the sheer idea behind what was unravelling before him._

"_Impulse, Cyborg... Aquaman, Green Arrow, what do you call your team?"_

_At that Bart jumped out of his seat and moved closer to the group of heroes, an excited look written over his face as he clapped his hands together _

"_I don't know. I've been thinking. We need something cool" punching AC in the arm he stood between him and Victor "We need something like—"_

"_I was thinking about something with the word 'Justice' in it" the voice was familiar and as Oliver Queen emerged from the shadows to approach the group, all eyes drifted to him; much like it usually did when the blond billionaire walked into a room._

"_After all, that's what Lex is gonna get a big dose of" he added as he sent a smile in Clark's direction, startling the man ever so slightly _

"_Victor and AC were able to hack into the 33.1 mainframe before we blew the building" Oliver held up a glowing green USB stick to emphasise his point the smirk on his face growing before he slipped the device back into his pocket. _

_A look of surprise formed on Clark and Chloe's face as the stared at the small device for a moment before their eyes drifted back up to Oliver. _

"_That was your other mission" Chloe spoke out as she finally was able to piece everything together._

"_Haven't met the computer yet I couldn't crack wide open" Victor replied calmly._

"_What did you guys find out?" Clark spoke out, completely ignoring the feeling of Oliver's eyes on the back of his head as he looked over at Victor, AC and Bart awaiting the answers they had._

"_That Lex isn't satisfied playing in his own backyard anymore" AC answered for him, eyes flicking over to Oliver before moving back to Clark and Chloe._

"_LuthorCorp is starting up divisions of 33.1 all across the globe" Oliver finished for AC meaning Clark had to turn around and face the blond man whose dark brown eyes automatically locked onto to his own _

"_Wherever there's evidence of people with abilities there'll be laboratories to do experiments" he concluded his eyes still on Clark._

_Worry filled Clark's mind at that thought. The idea of Lex having an army of superhuman warriors was a worrying thought that he knew neither he nor Oliver and his team wanted to face that._

"_We can't let that happen" he spoke aloud. 'I won't let it happen and I know what I must do' he added to himself._

_The smile returned to Oliver's face as he saw the emotions flash across Clark's green eyes. _

"_We won't" he reassured Clark with a smile before returning to his serious stance._

"_Gentlemen, our first target is a large facility on the island of Corto Maltese. You guys know the drill. Wheels up in 30 minutes; Get your gear" with that said AC, Victor and Bart all went to take their leave._

_Stopping right in front of Clark, Bart looked up at the older male; his arms crossed over his chest with a hopeful expression on his face. _

"_You coming, amigo?" he questioned in a soft voice so unlike his usual behaviour. _

_The comment from the youngest caused AC and Victor to stop and look back as though the thought had never entered their minds._

"_Yeah, you gotta come with us, man" AC spoke out._

"_We could use the big guns" Victor added in his usual tone._

_Clark's face fell; he wanted to go with them but he knew what he had to do and going with him would only prolong the inevitable even longer. 'I know what I have to do to beat Lex. I don't want to do it but I have to' he thought to himself as he looked at Oliver who was looking back at him as though he knew what he was thinking._

_Despite knowing the brunets answer already Oliver smiled hopefully at Clark his brown eyes shining somewhat in a questioning manner that he knew Clark would understand._

"_They're right, you know? You'd be a major asset to the team" he spoke out as Victor, Bart and AC lined up and looked at Clark hopefully awaiting his answer. _

_With a deep sigh Clark looked to Oliver with an almost apologetic smile on his face._

"_I want to be a part of this, guys, I really do" _

_Sorrow filled the brown eyes of the blond millionaire even though he tried to hold it back knowing that his eyes would be the true portal to his emotions over what he was saying_

"_But?" he said simply. He didn't know why the thought of Clark leaving hurt him so much, though if he was honest he didn't really want to find out why that was knowing that it could step into very dangerous waters._

"_I have decided that it is time I live up to my destiny. If I ever plan on beating Lex I need to follow the path I have had set out in front of me rather than trying to escape it. I don't know when I will see you guys again but... This is something I must do. When I come back... I promise to join you and fight by your side" Clark's guilt faded as the sorrow drained from Oliver's eyes as the blonde smiled at him._

_With peace of mind Oliver wanted to shout out in celebration. _

"_This isn't the end of the story, Clark" he spoke out, reminding the man that they __**would**__ meet again. With that he held out his hand, which Clark quickly grabbed making Oliver's smile grow further. _

"_This is just the beginning" a smirk formed on his face hoping that his attempt at humour would not spoil the moment._

"_After all, we still need to get you into a costume" with that he released Clark's hand, his smirk growing further at the frown that formed on Clark's face._

"_Chloe" Oliver said with a nod as he walked past the woman to join his team._

"_Come on, boys" he said as he walked ahead of them. _

"_Let's go save the world" he added as they followed him out of the barn leaving Clark and Chloe alone._

_With a smile Chloe moved to stand besides Clark as they watched the four heroes walk into a very dramatic looking sunset._

"_You know, you have some pretty amazing friends, Clark Kent" she said with a smile as she looked up at her friend._

_Though he was expecting a lecture he couldn't help the smile that formed on his face as he looked back at Chloe. _

"_Yeah, I do" he said throwing her a look that said she was included._

"_So when did you make the decision?" she asked knowing he would know what she was talking about._

"_As I walked into the Kryptonite filled room and felt the pain. I knew then that if I had done as Jor-El had instructed of me years ago, maybe, just maybe I would stop walking into obvious mistakes. I know now that if I want to make a difference I have to complete my training" he explained as he lent back against the wooden pole once again and looked at his long time best friend._

_A smile formed on Chloe's face as she looked proudly at the man before her, amazed slightly about the man the Kansas farm boy was quickly becoming. _

"_No matter what you do Clark; we will always be proud of you. And I will be waiting your return. Go become a man your world can be as proud of as we are of you" she spoke before she was enveloped in the man's arms._

"_Thanks Chloe" he smiled down at her again as he released her._

"_Oliver was right about one thing Clark. This is just the beginning"_

A/N

So this is a little different to the original structure of this story but after leaving it for well over a year my writing style has changed somewhat so I have re-written the later chapters. I also had some new ideas that I want to integrate into my story. Because of this the general plot has changed quite significantly from my original plan. This does mean that the Olli/Clark will take a bit of a back seat but they will end up together in the end and there will be little scenes appearing here there and everywhere.

Also some of the storylines that appear in later episodes than Justice will happen only a little differently so don't be surprised if characters appear randomly throughout my story in both evil and good roles.

Anyway, if you are re-reading or new to this story thank you and I apologise for the really long wait but my Smallville marathon has driven me to begin writing again.


	2. Chapter 1: The Long Awaited Return

**Disclaimer: **I have no affiliation with any characters from the DC Universe and make no money from writing this pure piece of fiction that has been swirling around my brain for well over a year now.  
I also do not own any of the planets presented within this chapter they belong to the franchise they were originally from. (I am a bit of a Trekkie so sorry for all the references to Star Trek planets and using probably very annoying Trekkie jargon)

**Chapter I**

**The Long Awaited Return**

The unique feel of the Earth's sun bearing down on his almost impenetrable flesh was something Clark never thought he would miss, however after four years away from the red sun of Earth he found the soft warm rays an awakening reminder that he was finally home; that after all his hard work over the time he was away, Jor-El had finally deemed him as ready to fulfil the destiny he had laid out for him so many times in the past only for him to turn his back on him and run away.

The lesson had been a hard one prior to leaving; both his own life and the lives of his friends constantly in danger because of his stupid ideals and beliefs. It had been a hard lesson but he knew now what he had to do.

Four years of training, planet to planet learning the cultures and history of each race, learning that not everyone can be saved but everyone deserves the chance.

Gallifrey, a planet in the constellation of Kasterborous and well over two hundred and fifty million light years from Earth and outside any galaxy that the humans were aware of, Clark himself could only assume what quadrant the planet was in. Whether it was closer or further from Earth than Krypton, Clark didn't know but Jor-El had told him that he was to be sent there for the pure reason that like Krypton the planets inhabitants were very advance; Time-Lords they called themselves. But despite all their knowledge and abilities they were on the brink of their own destruction. They taught Clark as much as they could in the short time but to Clark the most important thing he learnt was that not everybody could be saved and it wasn't his job to try.

His next stop was at a planet only a little over sixteen light years from the Earth and still within the first quadrant of the Milky Way, orbiting the 40 Eridani A, the primary star of the 40 Eridani system, a trinary star system located in the Sol Sector. Like Krypton and Gallifrey the inhabitants were another humanoid species who referred to themselves as Vulcan's. At first he had questioned Jor-El's motives for sending him there because though they were quite advanced they were an extremely unusual race. However after seven months on the planet he learnt more with the Vulcan's than any other person in existence.

The Vulcan's taught him control; control of thought, of emotions and of knowledge. They were a quiet race of many beliefs but their most followed belief was that emotion's needed to be controlled or they would rule them. They taught Clark to control anger, hate and even love so that it didn't overpower his judgement and cause him to make mistakes like he had in the past. Lana, Chloe, Lois, Oliver, his mom, his dad... The list was endless and he knew that their lives had been put in danger because of him. The Vulcan's showed him that though his humanity was his biggest strength it also made him irrational and very dangerous.

Narendra III was another planet he had spent time on which home a colony of a race called the Klingon's. They were far from friendly but Jor-El felt the need to send him to Qo'noS, the home world of the Klingon's where he spent almost every day fighting for his life as the humanoid warrior species pushed him to fight for almost every day of his month and a half visit. He found the limit of his body and beyond.

Other planets he visited included Weytahn, an unstable planet with a small colony of a race called Andorians. Tzenketh, Bajor and a few more he either couldn't remember or couldn't pronounce.

He had learnt so much in such a short time as he went between studying Krypton in the Fortress of Solitude and spending odd amounts of months on far away unknown planets that he would never be able to share with anyone else. But as much fun as his travels had been, he was glad to be home, searching the twenty eight galaxies if not further made him feel lonely and his mind constantly drifted to when he would see him mom and friends again; Chloe, Jimmy, Oliver, Victor, AC and even Lois, he missed them all so much. His biggest surprise was the fact that over time Lana, the woman he had been in love with for almost all his life, slowly began to leave his thoughts until after two years she was nothing more than a distant memory.

But now he was finally back standing at the console of the Fortress of Solitude breathing in the fresh icy air of the Arctic circle of the planet earth awaiting Jor-El's approval that he could return to his life.

"You have achieved everything I desired and more Kal-El and your travels have given you more knowledge than either this planet or I could ever give you... Now my final lesson to you" Jor-El's echoing voice was cut off slightly as there was movement in the fortress and a large crystal rose from the ground a few metres from where he was standing.

"Your Earth mother, Martha Kent and my vessel Lionel Luthor brought this here for you and requested that I present this to you when you are ready. I myself found it quite fitting for the role you will play on this planet" Jor-El finished as some of the crystal's lowered, presenting an outfit in his signature blue and red with the El family logo on the chest piece in red and yellow.

Walking closer to the outfit, Clark took in the outfit before him. It was a form fitting blue suit with a red cape and boots and what appeared to be a pair of red briefs over the top with a yellow belt. It occurred to him that if he had seen these clothes four years ago he would hands down refuse to wear such a garment but now, he understood the importance of identity and presenting an image of hope.

It didn't take long for Clark to change out of his highly edited Kryptonian clothes that he had become quite fond of: a white shirt which buttoned down the back bearing the logo of the House of El in black on the left side of his chest, a pair of black trousers had donned his legs to be completed with a knee length black coat and black shoes. At first he felt uncomfortable in the tight fitting new clothes; however he quickly found that it allowed easier movements than clothes he had become used to with the added bonus that with the tightness to his skin he knew that it would increase the strength of the materials.

"You have made me proud my son, you may now leave to go back to your life but I ask that you do not forget the teachings I have given you because they will aid in both your survival and the survival of the people most important to you, good luck my son" Jor-El spoke out as the fortress began to darken indicating that the artificial intelligence turned itself off, awaiting the time when he would be needed again.

Though he knew that the AI wasn't his father but more a computer program designed to teach him the way forward, Clark had become very fond of the tolerance it seemed to portray and how it spoke of his family on Krypton enough to make him re-evaluate his position on his birth parents; he now knew the truth and it was enough.

"No... Thank you... Father" he spoke softly in reply before flying off into the sky; his desired location: Metropolis.

The distant glow of the Daily Planet globe in the moonlight was a reassuring sight to Clark as he flew towards it. It was a sign that he was finally home and just that feeling made all that he had accomplished worth so much more than it had not ten minutes ago.

Nothing had really changed in the time he had been gone, Metropolis was still as active now as it was when he left. Landing on the top of the Daily Planet building he looked out around the city watching the plumes of smoke from buildings, the sight of the street lights or lights in apartments and houses glinting in the distance, the glow of Oliver's clock tower in the distance. The last sight made him stop and a small smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

Suddenly a shrill scream broke through Clark's thoughts and alerting him to someone in danger. Using his enhanced hearing he was quickly able to locate the area and find a young woman, probably no older than eighteen being pressed up against the brick wall of an alley, her skirt hoisted up as a roughish, burley man pushed himself against her making her cry out further in pain and who knows what else. A feeling of contentment overcame him as he realised that he no longer had to hide, that he could help people without worrying about people finding out about his linage and identity.

"Oh you feel good pretty lady... Mmm I bet you have such a tight body" the man's voice was as rough as his face Clark noted as he dropped down from the sky and landed a few feet behind the scene. He grimaced slightly as he watched the man lick up the side of the woman's face before thrusting his lower regions against her again.

Any attempt or ideas of escape the girl may have had would be completely futile given how her face was pressed painfully against the wall, the course material scarping at her skin as his arms on her body kept her in place.

Using all of his training from Vulcan and his Kryptonian heritage he quickly drank down all of his emotions despite the disgust that wanted to bubble over; he knew emotions would only get in the way in situations. Walking closer to the man, Clark merely placed his hand on the man's shoulder causing the thug to spin around with a knife clasped in his hand, throwing the young woman to the floor with a growl of irritation.

"I suggest you leave her alone" his voice was blunt, as icy as the blue eyes that pierced into the thug making the man step back somewhat and hold the knife up in his own defence.

Suddenly a chuckle fell from the attacker's mouth as he pointed at the outfit Clark was wearing; waving the knife up and down as his eyes roamed the blue spandex covered man.

"What you going to do if I don't huh? What d'ya thinks ya some kinda superhero wearin' that shit! Where ya get it? A charity shop?" doubling over in laughter, Clark watched as the man almost dropped the knife to the floor in his own amusement ignoring the iciness of Clark's glare.

"My mother made it for me"

This only made the thug laugh harder, tears almost running down his face as he ridiculed a man who could break him in one hand and he didn't even realise it.

"I would suggest you listen to him"

Had Clark not heard the new voice before he may have been taken aback but even with the equipment he used to cover over his voice to keep from people discovering his identity, Clark would recognise him.

Having noticed Clark's attention moving towards the new arrival the thug took his chance, closing the distance between himself and the Kryptonian, knife in hand and slashed across Clark's neck; dropping the handle almost instantly as he felt the blade crumble against the impenetrable skin like it was glass hitting a wall. It left the once arrogant man fumbling, trying to get away from the unknown man only to be stopped as he was hoisted into the air by the collar of his jacket, feet trying to make contact with Clark's shins.

"May I borrow an arrow?" Clark asked the approaching man, having heard his attempt at silence his footsteps as he approached.

He could sense that the man was slightly flabbergasted by his question, but Clark still heard him unclip one of his smaller arrows from the harness on his leg and place it in the palm of his hand which Clark hand positioned above his shoulder so his attention was never far from the man in his grasp. Pinning the man against the wall, Clark drove the arrow into the wall through the man's leather jacket knowing that it would keep him in place before he turned his attention back to the woman who was still on the floor staring up at him in shock.

"I suggest you call the police then head home quickly, I am sure your parent's are worried about you" he said to the young girl who quickly fumbled her mobile phone from her pocket before climbing to her feet and running out of the alley.

Wanting to get away from the restrained man, Clark levitated slightly, turning around so he was facing the green leather clad man before flying up to land on the roof the other man had appeared on and waited for him to arrive. It wasn't a long wait as he soon found himself face to face with an arrow point; it was overtly obvious to Clark that the other man did not recognise him due to the shadows that engulfed his form or it had just been a while since he had last seen him.

"Thank you for your assistance Green Arrow, it is much appreciated" deciding to play with the man for a bit, Clark was highly amused when a low growl came from the other's throat and the arrow was aimed for his head as though the man was hoping that it would be an area that was penetrable.

"I would have thought you knew better than to point an arrow at someone who can't be cut by a knife... Oliver" smirking slightly as the other froze and stepping closer so the point of his arrow was in line with Clark's nose and barely a millimetre away in an attempt to rattle the Kryptonian.

"Who are you and how do you know who I am" Oliver's stance stood stronger as he stood with his feet apart should the slightly larger man choose to attack him after his demand.

Feigning a sigh of disappointment, Clark stepped out of the shadows, a silent chuckle slipping from his lips as a look of recognition appeared on Oliver's face indicating to Clark that the billionaire had previously not been able to get a good look of his face to deduce who he was.

"You wound me Olli... Surly I haven't been gone long enough for you to forget me" he smiled softly as he watched Oliver fold his bow away and slide it back into its harness before smiling up at Clark.

Pulling back his hood and removing his sunglasses, Clark saw Oliver beautiful brown eyes shine somewhat in his happiness that Clark couldn't help but smile back at him; the one thing Clark had always remembered about Oliver was how his eyes were always the pathway to what he was really thinking; one look and he knew what the billionaire was feeling or whether he was lying; it was refreshing to see the blonde after so long.

"Clark Kent, so you finally decide to show your face again. Been what four years? Nice to have you back though I must admit the tights and cape was something I never expected... Doesn't leave much to the imagination" Oliver laughed as he spoke patting the Kryptonian on the shoulder in greeting as he spoke, trying to get his blush under control.

"Well you did always want to get me into a costume; obviously it rubbed off on my mother... I would like to talk more but here isn't the place"

"My place is closer and I can lend you some clothes, I might have some in your size" Oliver said a little too quickly but luckily Clark didn't seem to notice. Pulling his hood up as he prepared to leave. He was more than a little shocked when he felt to arms wrap around his waist and turn him around so they were standing chest to chest.

Clark couldn't help but smirk slightly as he felt the blonde tense in his arms and try and pull away from him but it quickly died away and he soon felt the blonde relax into his hold and almost lean into his hold, that was the confusing aspect but Clark chose not to think into it too much.

"Hold on tight, I can get us there a lot quicker than walking... Just wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tightly, I would also tuck your head down to shield from the wind" he spoke, holding Oliver tighter as he prepared to take flight.

Quickly doing as Clark requested, Oliver tucked his head under Clark's chin and clamped his arms around his neck as tightly as he could fighting with extreme difficulty as his emotion's began to go haywire at the feeling of the brunets hard body pressed firmly against his own. The Kryptonian had been constantly on his mind since he had left four years ago; it had been the second year that he had realised with a little influence from Chloe that somewhere down the line he had developed deeper feelings for the 'Man of Steel'.


	3. Interlude: Awkward Realizations

**Interlude 1**

**Awkward Realizations**

_Two years ago_

_It may have been a long flight back from Europe having flown via the business class of the local flight company rather than on his private jet but Oliver thought he had covered all his bases and would be able to be in and out of Metropolis before anyone realised he was actually there and gone again. Unfortunately for him one certain friend of his was a lot smarter than he gave her any credit despite having only really spent limited amounts of time with her._

_He had landed back in Metropolis just over an hour ago but he had already found himself back at his clock tower on his balcony with a certain other blonde who had been waiting for him at the airport and dragged him away back to his apartment. It hadn't taken her any longer to settle herself in a metal chair on the balcony and watch him with a knowing smirk across her features as he hesitated on what to say to her._

_In reality, Oliver knew that Chloe was a lot smarter and considerably more perceptive than anyone ever gave her credit for and that included Clark whether the Kryptonian ever realised it or not. That was the reason why Oliver was struggling with what to say to the reporter because he didn't want to crack open a conversation that might lead to her questioning further than he felt comfortable admitting._

"_You know, you've been avoiding Metropolis like the plague since you came back from your 33.1 mission..." Chloe had risen to her feet sometime within her statement and moved over to stand beside Oliver against the balcony railing._

"_There is only so much of Lois I can take before her worries become too much and god knows how much money she has spent flying between here and Star City" training her eyes onto his worn features, Chloe couldn't help but sigh somewhat at the almost pitiful sight before her._

_Oliver looked tired, really tired; dark bags hung under his immensely bloodshot eyes that had lost their usual sparkle and instead looked highly fatigued; if Chloe didn't know better she would have said that Oliver was giving up on something and slipping into a state of depression, but that just didn't make sense to her._

_Deciding to remain silent, Oliver simply stared out towards the glow of the Daily Planet globe in the distance in an attempt to ignore the blonde reporter, unfortunately for him Chloe was getting rather impatient and soon he found himself on the receiving end of a much harder punch in the arm than he expected the small reporter to be capable of._

"_Easy there Watchtower, I could have gone over the balcony there" he tried to laugh at his own comment but the pointed look he was receiving from Chloe silenced any attempt at humour._

"_I don't know what you're expecting but I've had a business to run so I've been in Queen Industries Europe base working some business deals through with some European and British companies in some technology deals which in the long run I hope to implement in to some new Arrow equipment" frowning as he spoke, Oliver clenched his hands at his sides, avoiding any contact with the woman._

"_I'll admit that not everything was business based, the Daimler AG company asked me to test some cars for them and I did a little racing" he added with a soft smile._

_Not as convinced at Oliver seemed to think she was, Chloe glared at the billionaire again, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot making Oliver cringe somewhat and make him want to do nothing more than run away from the reporter._

"_When you came back from the mission's at 33.1 you said that you would be around here for three months while you worked out the details on the LuthorCorp buyout that both Lionel and your secretary clarified" Chloe's slightly higher pitched voice than usual made Oliver cringe somewhat, the accusation cutting into him slightly._

"_At first I thought nothing of it but this is only been happening since Clark left and I don't think that is a coincidence" _

"_Clark has nothing to do with this Chloe. I needed to be somewhere that Lex wasn't"_

"_While I agree that may have been some of your reason for leaving I know that's not all of it, I saw your face when I told you about Clark's training, about how long he could be gone and I know you immediately went to Martha Kent and offered to buy the farm and keep it going until Clark gets back so that it wasn't sold on"_

_Recoiling slightly, Oliver froze and moved away from Chloe, moving to sit on one of the deck chairs again; he could feel Chloe's irritation and in some ways she was considerably scarier than an angry or irritated Lois Lane._

"_Yeah okay that's all true but what was I meant to do sit around and twiddle my thumbs. Lex is working so underground it's almost impossible to trace him, with the team I haven't needed patrol too much and when I received the offer from Daimler and the chance to drive new cars down the Autobahn, Hockenheimring and Nürburgring Nordschleife I couldn't turn it down and since finding out about my extra-curricular activities Lois has been less than civil with me, threatening to plaster the truth all over the front page of the Daily Planet if I so much as look at her the wrong way" frowning as he spoke, Oliver watched Chloe carefully for a moment seeing how her face softened at his words before she moved over to sit before him._

_Chloe could see that Oliver's usual shields were down, slowly crumbling away making it so that he would more than likely blurt out every secret he had right now and Chloe knew it, but she didn't want to take advantage of the openness of the billionaire._

"_You know it would be easier on both me and yourself if you were to just admit it. I promise that it will feel like the weight of the world leaving your shoulders... I know what it's like to have feelings you don't want to admit to" leaning forward she grabbed Oliver's hand and gave it a strong squeeze, smiling at the other blond to help give him strength._

"_When I came back I had a meeting with Lionel about Lex, I was surprised as anyone that he wants to work with us to bring his son down but I thought since Clark, Mrs Kent and yourself seem to trust him I should give him a chance" Oliver explained, not releasing his hold on the others hand as he practically used it as a beacon of strength so that he didn't suddenly cave and run away._

"_When we finished discussing our plans he turned and said that things would be a lot easier when Clark returned from his training. When I left his office it finally dawned on me how true that was and I couldn't stay in Metropolis anymore while he wasn't here. I left for Germany and spent the whole time distracting myself from a loneliness I couldn't explain" closing his eyes as he finished, Oliver took a deep breath to try and control himself as the feeling of emptiness washed over him again._

_Deciding not to upset the blond billionaire any more than she already had, Chloe released his hand and rose to her feet with a smile as brown eyes met her own._

"_Come on, let's go for a walk or drive and you can tell me all about your adventures in Germany" she smiled down at him earning a smile of thanks from Oliver as he stood up and nodded knowing now that if he ever needed a distraction Chloe would be his friend as much as she was Clark's._


End file.
